Aranda spends about 100 days at sea per year. The research voyages last from a few days to a week or two. Work onboard is done in two shifts, lasting an average of 12 hours per day. The ship has, among other things, a kitchen, a gym, a library, and a sauna.
The sky anchor keeps the ship in position while sampling
On Aranda, work is carried out in both sunshine and blizzards. The ship’s manoeuvrability is calibrated to meet the challenging requirements of marine research work. For example, a so-called sky anchor, i.e. Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS), is connected to the ship's steering system, which makes it possible to keep the vessel at the exact desired location while at a sampling station with metre accuracy even in high winds.
The RV Aranda is a polar research vessel and research trips are made in the Baltic Sea all year round. Exploratory trips to the polar regions must be made in spring, summer or autumn when the sea ice is thin enough to navigate. In winter, sea ice in the polar regions can reach up to seven metres in thickness, which is too much even for icebreaker ships.
The RV Aranda is an environmentally friendly seafarer
The research vessel Aranda collects information for optimising the greening of the shipping industry. While the ship is underway, it is possible to examine both emissions and fuel consumption simultaneously. Such information tells exactly what kind of driving at sea is the most environmentally friendly.
Also, Aranda's transmission is fully electric, which can ensure the quiet driving necessary for research vessels. The ship can also travel short distances on battery power alone, thereby further minimising ship noise.